Ladysmith KZN: Municipality speaks up about CBD flooding

Alfred Duma Local Municipality has released a statement about the flooding that has hit the CBD of Ladysmith.

 

The statement was released by the Office of the Mayor, Cllr Vincent Madlala, and reads as follows:

 

Taking into account what we are all witnessing, on behalf of the Alfred Duma Municipal Council, I can confirm that our town has been affected by floods. Municipal officials have conducted an inspection for the past two days and the findings can be summarised as follows:

 

On Monday night, February 8, heavy rainfall was experienced in the uThukela District, more specifically within the Ladysmith area. In terms of the rainfall data available at the Department of Public Safety & Emergency Services, the recordings are as follows: CBD – 47mm; Van Riebeeck Park – 100mm; and Catchment Area – +/-80mm.

 

On Tuesday, February 9, at approximately 9am, the reading at the gauge plate at the Soofie Mosque Bridge was in the region of 5.95m and at the Qedusizi Dam, 9.5m and rising.

 

At approximately 3pm, the reading gauge plate at the Soofie Mosque Bridge was in the region of 7.85m and the reading at the Qedusizi Dam was 12.6m.

 

From all of the above, it is evident that there was a great influx of water coming into the Klip River, thereby causing it to flow at extremely high levels.

 

The Qedusizi Flood Attenuation Dam was constructed in October 1998 by the then Department of Water Affairs & Forestry. Its purpose was to reduce the risk of flooding in the low-lying areas of Ladysmith.

 

 

The 32m-high dam is designed in such a way that the flood water from the Klip River and Sand Spruit will be stored temporarily.

 

The impounded water will be released at a controlled rate, taking into consideration the safe carrying capacity of the Klip River through Ladysmith, while at the same time taking due cognizance of the effects of flooding from the intermediate catchment area, mainly the Flagstone Spruit.

 

The flood release rate from the dam is restricted to about 450m3/s. This is achieved by the provision of the two uncontrolled flood openings, each 3.2m high and 5m wide, through the dam at riverbed level.

When the dam was constructed in 1998, the then Department of Water Affairs & Forestry (DWAF), as the custodian of the Qedusizi Dam, entered into an agreement with the then Emnambithi/Ladysmith Council whereby the powers of control, operations and maintenance of the Ladysmith Flood Control Scheme was delegated to the latter, with Council to implement the roles and responsibilities stipulated in the manual. 

 

Also read: Chaos as flooding continues in many areas of the CBD

 

The Tide Flex valves installed at various strategic points along the Klip River have been proven effective, as there seems to be no water back-flow from the river.

 

The flooding of the streets within the lower-lying areas of the CBD (ie Forbes Street, Lyell Street, Alexandra Street, Queen Street, King Street, Princess Street and Settlers Drive) resulted from the storm-water outlets not being able to discharge into the Klip River due to the extremely high river levels.

The current infrastructure is functional and maintained, however noting that Ladysmith has experienced a Natural Disaster with excessive volumes of water flowing within the river channel, thus not allowing the collection of storm-water and ground water to be channeled and discharged into the Klip River.

Once the river level drops, storm-water will self-drain into the Klip River.

 

A details report will be compiled once the river has subsided and damage to infrastructure can be ascertained in respect of roads, storm-water channels, catch pits, drains, Tide Flex valves, flood chambers , levies stability, infrastructure bridges and so on.

 

 

Throughout the District, it has been confirmed that all rivers and dams have recorded an increase in water levels.

 

I am appealing to all members of the community to observe safety precautions whenever attempting to cross any river stream, especially in the rural areas within the municipal jurisdiction, since I have also confirmed that the Ingula River (along the areas of Peacetown, Watersmeet and Driefontein) is full beyond capacity.

 

Our children have a tendency to enjoy swimming while there are increased volumes of water, which is very risky and life-threatening. Let’s all monitor our kids and prevent them from swimming in these river streams, as every life matters and we can’t afford to lose even a single life as a result of flooding.

 

Social media reports have confirmed some people actually swimming in the CBD in amusement. That is prohibited and the water itself is not hygienic, thus nobody should be swimming in the CBD.

 

Furthermore, I have confirmed that the Ladysmith/Steadville cemetery is also affected by the flooding and thus everyone who has booked a site for burial purposes is advised to visit the municipality and consult with the relevant officials on reallocation of burial sites or the identification of alternative burial sites as a matter of urgency to ensure that our loved ones are buried appropriately and conveniently.

In terms of Traffic Management and Control, motorists are required to comply with all temporary interventions aimed at managing traffic flow within the CBD.

 

Let’s all observe patience and willingness to be guided beyond normal standards and routines, as everyone is in a rush – this is required from both motorists and the public. Incidents and accidents should be avoided.

 

 

There is an obvious fact that the business sector has been affected negatively and Council places on record that this was an unforeseen circumstance and due to circumstances beyond our control. We can only confirm that our teams are ready for mop-up interventions once the Klip River water levels have subsided.

 

At this stage, Council appeals to everyone to be calm and observe safety protocols that are in place.

In times of difficulty, we all need to focus on the challenge we are all experiencing and suffering from.

 

In conclusion, through inter-governmental relations and co-operation from the transport sector, I would like to thank them for their immediate response compliance plan of ensuring that they co-ordinated temporary designated areas of loading zones and drop-off areas in liaison with the municipality for all commuters, which was well communicated and co-ordinated.